Anything But That
by eLpHaBaFaBaLaElPhIeFaE
Summary: RENT [Oneshot] Why does Mark say 'Anything but that.' in response to Joanne saying 'Test 123'. in the Tango: Maureen? This is my view of it. And yes, I am completely aware of the fact that Maureen probably wouldn't do it this way. Note that it is FANFIC


A/N Hello everyone! This is another little oneshot that came into my mind when I saw the movie! (Which by the way was incredible! I've only seen it five times…) It just like dawned on my why when, during the Tango: Maureen, the whole little "Say something, anything. Test one-two-three. Anything but that." Why Mark says "Anything but that." I hope you like it!

Disclaimer: I own nothing, apparently God doesn't go for bribes…

"Say something, anything." Mark said to his ex-girlfriend's girlfriend.

"Test one-two-three…" she said into the microphone.

Mark winced as the painful memory flooded back to him…

It was after April killed herself, slit wrists, in the bathroom.

Mark was helping Roger get clean, and neglecting his girlfriend, Maureen.

One day, Maureen asked him if she could borrow his camera for a while. He agreed, being too busy taking care of Roger to really pay attention to what he was saying. He would soon regret it.

_A Few Days Later…_

Mark came out of Roger's room after being in there not leaving his friend's side for who knows how many days. He went to the fridge to see if they had anything that was still edible, when he saw it, his camera, with a small piece of lime green stationery underneath it. Maureen's stationery.

He went over and picked up the note. It smelled faintly of strawberry-kiwi, Maureen's scent.

_Marky, _

_Please watch my clip from the camera. It explains everything. _

_Maureen_

He wound up the camera and let it start reeling against a blank wall.

(Close up of Maureen's face.)

"Test one-two-three… I hope this goddamn contraption is working."

"Pookie, this is Maureen. If you're watching this, it means you finally came out of Roger's room and found my note. I'm going to do this on the camera, because that and Roger are the only things you pay attention to anymore. Ready, test one-two-three…I'm dumping you."

(Silence and blank for a few seconds, then Maureen's face comes back, her eyes slightly redder than last time.)

"Marky, this was not an easy thing to do, but I feel like Roger is more your girlfriend than me. Sure, I know that he's your best friend and his girlfriend just killed herself, but Mark, April was my friend, too. In case you've forgotten, I was the one that introduced them. She was one of my best friends Mark!"

(There are now tears streaming down Maureen's face.)

"I needed comforting, too. Sure, I wasn't on smack, or god knows what else. I wasn't going through withdrawal, like Roger. But, when I needed you Marky, you weren't there for me. I had to suffer, alone. The whole time we were dating Mark, up until the last week or so, I was faithful, but you weren't. I have never gone for such a long time without cheating on a boyfriend. I didn't cheat once on you Mark, until you started cheating on me, with Roger. I know you'll deny it. I know you didn't actually do anything with him. You're just a good friend. But you're not the best friend to me. That night, when April killed herself, I was the one who found her. Do you remember that? I walked in… and… and there she was, dead, blood all over on the bathroom floor. And that note, written in blood on the fucking mirror. Roger came in next, and he broke down. I was in shock, but did you comfort me? No, you went straight to Roger without even a backward glance."

(Maureen's face, which had been red with anger and tears, suddenly went perfectly calm and collected.)

"I cheated on you for the first time in a year Mark. I left. You were comforting Roger and I left. I went down to the Cat Scratch Club and got drunk and had sex with who knows how many guys. I wasn't drunk enough to forget to use a condom though. I was safe. After that, I went out on the street and cried. I cried Mark, because I knew I had lost you. I knew it could never be the same, that it could never work. You cared too much Mark, too much about Roger, and not me. That's when I met Joanne. I was walking, and falling, on the streets of New York when she came up to me. She saw my tear-streaked face, messy, sweaty hair, smeared make-up, and rumpled clothes. She knew what I'd been doing. Anyone who saw me would have. But she didn't care. She saw that I needed help. We went back to her apartment. She put me in her bed and slept on the couch. She didn't take advantage of me."

(Maureen is now crying again.)

"When I woke up the next morning, exhausted, sore, and with the worst hangover I've ever had in my life, she took care of me. She held my hair while I threw up in the toilet. She cuddled me and comforted me in between puking. She made me feel something that I'd never felt with anyone else. She made me feel cared for. I didn't realize it then. She was just another one-night-stand. It was weird, in a good way. I'd never slept with a woman before. It was so different, yet so much the same. We shared that night, then the next morning, I left, embarrassed. I tried to come back to you Marky, but you didn't want me. All you wanted was Roger. I tried my best, but now I give up. I apologized to Joanne, for leaving like that. I explained everything to her. She understood. I'm with her now Mark. Not you. You and Roger can just go fuck yourselves for all I care. I'm with someone who loves me for who I am. Who I was meant to be. I realize this now. Thanks to you I guess. You, April, and Roger. Goodbye Mark."

After the clip was done, Mark sat there, in shock. He couldn't believe it, yet, in some ways, he could. She was gone, and it was his fault. Afterwards, she acted like the movie had never happened. She acted like she had just dumped him for a lesbian lawyer named Joanne. Mark never told anyone about the movie; it had almost slipped out of his memory, until that moment.

"Test one-two-three."

"Anything but that."

A/N So, like? Dislike? I want to know! Reviews (And flames if you think it was that bad) are very welcome! Thanks! I love you all!


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